Russia Carries Out Massive Drone, Missile Barrage on Ukraine

(MENAFN) Russia's Defense Ministry announced Thursday that it carried out a large-scale overnight strike targeting Ukraine's military-industrial infrastructure, framing the assault as direct retaliation for what it called Ukrainian aggression against civilian infrastructure on Russian soil.

In an official statement, the ministry said the attack was "a response to the terrorist attacks" by Kyiv "on civilian infrastructure facilities on Russian territory," adding that "the objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets have been hit."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the scale of the bombardment, disclosing that Russia had unleashed 420 drones and 39 missiles of various types — among them 11 ballistic missiles — across the country overnight.

"There is destruction in eight regions, and many private and multi-story buildings have been damaged. Dozens of people are known to have been injured, including children," he said. Zelenskyy reported that energy infrastructure had been struck in the Poltava, Kyiv, and Dnipro regions, with emergency crews actively deployed across Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Kyiv, including the capital.

Zelenskyy credited international support with limiting the damage, while signaling that defenses must be strengthened further. "Most of the missiles launched today were successfully shot down, thanks to partners who promptly provided air defense systems as agreed during the last Ramstein meeting. But there were also hits, which means we need to work even more actively going forward," he said.

Independent verification of claims made by either side remains difficult given the conditions of the ongoing conflict.

MENAFN26022026000045017169ID1110793251